“UP mein hain dum, kyonki jurm yahan hai kum,” is the punchline of Amitabh Bachchan‘s commercials for Mulayam and Amar Singh‘s Uttar Pradesh. Big B’s (or some smart copywriter’s) contention is that the UPA government’s bid to impose President’s Rule on grounds of deteriorating law and order, is flawed because there are other States with a worse L&O and crime record than UP’s.

Is that true? Girish Nikam crunches some numbers at the National Crime Records Bureau and finds:

# highest incidence of violent crimes among all States in the country, i.e 25,352 (12.5 per cent) out of 2,02,640 cases, reported from Uttar Pradesh

# highest incidence of murder in the country , 5,711 (17.5 per cent) out of 32,719 cases, reported from Uttar Pradesh

# highest incidence of attempt to commit murder inthe country 5,637 (20.1 per cent) out of 28,031 reported from Uttar Pradesh

# most incidents of kidnapping and abduction in the country accounting for 2,955 (12.9 per cent) out of 22,832 cases have been reported from Uttar Pradesh

# highest incidence of dowry deaths in the country accounting for 23.04 percent 1,564 (23.04 per cent) out of 6,787 reported from Uttar Pradesh

# highest number of murders using fire arms in the country, 2,144 (31.3 per cent) out of 5,643 cases reported from Uttar Pradesh

# highest percentage of kidnapping and abduction of children, 749 (21.3 per cent) out of 3,518 cases, reported from Uttar Pradesh

# 50 per cent of the scheduled castes murdered (323 out of 669) in the country are reported from Uttar Pradesh

# highest number of cases of kidnapping and abduction of scheduled castes 38.3 percent( 99 out of 258 cases) reported from Uttar Pradesh

# third highest incidence of robbery accounting to 11.6 per cent ( 2049 out of 17,673) has been reported from Uttar Pradesh

# highest percentage and number of cases of sexual harassment (eve teasing) i.e. 28.9 per cent (2,881 out of 9,984 cases) have been reported from Uttar Pradesh.

The numbers do not prove that UP is a fit case for President’s Rule but they go some way in establishing the hollowness of celebrity endorsements of what is pretty serious stuff. So, should Bachchan have been aware of the reality before receiving his cheque? You bet.

8 comments

Some of the above can be explained by saying that UP is the largest of all Indian states, with the largest population, so obviously crime will be high as compared to say, Sikkim.

However, what is far more annoying is the repeated insistence that it is not a problem at all. UP seems to be fast occupying Bihar’s spot as India’s most dysfunctional State. It is worse than it seems because none of the people who are challenging the SP have any concrete plans to turn the situation around.

The capture of power in UP seems to be an end in itself. I have not heard so much as a word as to what the Centre planned to do with the L&O problem when it took over. No agendas, no goals, no road-maps or timetables as to how India’s worst governed and largest state would be turned around on to the path of safety and prosperity.

The coming election is irrelevant. The people of UP are doomed. They have been abandoned.

Amitabh Bachchan, ensconed in his Mumbai mansion with his Y category security is only mocking them with his ads.

Amitabh Bachchan ought to be ashamed of himself for promoting UP. He is a man bereft of moral scruples. His choice of supporting a political party is as horrendous as are his recent cheap, third rate films.
Seems to me he’s gone senile.

Nearly three days ago, Taroon Coomar Bhaduri, Jaya Bacchan’s father, was Lucknow Correspondent of the STATESMAN. I remember his writing a series of three engrossing articles for his paper that was aptly titled ‘ULTA PRADESH”. Things have now gone worse, beyond our imagination which is a pity.